In the Middle of the Night
by HelpfulHaircut
Summary: A brief snapshot in time. Ginny Weasley wakes up from a horrible nightmare. She contemplates her brothers and what they've done for her so far. Oneshot! Complete!


**TITLE: In the Middle of the Night**

**AUTHOR: HelpfulHaircut**

**DESCRIPTION: Ginny Weasley wakes up from a horrible nightmare. She contemplates her brothers and what they've done for her so far. **

**PAIRINGS: None mentioned**

**STATUS: complete**

**WARNINGS: none**

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I don't own Harry Potter, and I'm not making any money off of this, I think we all know that. ~HH**

**AN: go check out some fantastic original stuff at Fictionpress and Wattpad author name GruffChronicles! s/3339120/1/Gruff-Chronicles-Allegra-s-Story**

Harry Potter had saved her life. Ginny knew that. She remembered waking up, remembered seeing him there. He was covered in blood and terrified, hair matted down. She remembered exactly the way he looked and everything about it. She remembered the smell of the dank room they were in, the dim light in the cavern. She remembered it all perfectly.

Ginny also remembered the before. She remembered Tom's betrayal. She remembered opening the Chamber, how he'd used her, what it felt like to have her soul slowly pushed from her body. Ginny remembered every moment of it. Most of all, Ginny remembered what she had done, what she was guilty of. She remembered Collin and Hermione, even Mrs Norris. It had been sheer luck and nothing else to save their very lives.

She also remembered the after. She remembered the kind words in the hospital. She remembered her mother petting her hair and telling her it was okay, that everything would be alright (it wasn't). Bill had come home for a short time and guarded her room with a gaze that would have terrified anyone. His wand never left his hand. Percy personally inspected every potion that passed her lips, every spell that the Healers cast. Her brothers had rallied around her like a pack of snarling wolves.

It didn't help.

The nightmares still came, even after all this time. Ginny got up, a little sweaty and trembling. Nothing felt safe, not even with Harry downstairs. Not even with Hermione in the bed across the room. Voldemort was still out there. As long as Voldemort lived and breathed, Tom lived and breathed. He was alive. He was waiting. Grabbing her pillow, Ginny slipped out of bed and padded silently down the stairs.

Bill would just be tense. He'd get up and check the house, examine every shadow, and put her back to bed. Percy would turn her away. He would sit with her and explain the ins and outs of what had happened, how he wasn't likely to come back for her. Ron would just growl and grumble and tell her to "get out". Charlie wasn't home. Her parents… Ginny didn't want to worry her parents.

"Ginny?" Ginny looked back at Hermione, left standing on the stairs and rubbing her eyes.

"Everything is okay." Ginny assured her, "go back to sleep." Hermione nodded. Hermione never told when she woke up and found Ginny gone. Not for any reason. Turning back to the dark hall, Ginny continued on past her brother's doors and stopped.

The door before her was magically warded. She knew it was and had always known but hadn't ever told. Because of that, Ginny reached out and turned the knob, she'd always been allowed in. She relaxed when the lock undid itself and pushed the heavy door open. There were two beds here, one on either side of the room. Ginny closed the door and padded over to the closest one, climbing in. George lifted his head to examine his new bed mate for a moment or two and then lifted the covers to let her curl up against him. Ginny snuggled against his larger form and he wrapped his arms and blankets around her without a word.

The twins had never told her it would be okay. Neither pretended it didn't happen. They didn't follow her everywhere and smother her. They didn't pity her or treat her like a baby. The twins didn't get angry with her either. They were merely there for her, silently watching, ready with whatever she may need. They were her favorite. Yawning, Ginny drifted back to sleep. Nothing would touch her here, not even Tom.


End file.
